A place to track my training sessions and pertinent information related to such.

Saturday, June 28, 2008

Running Shoes

Part of my preparation for the marathon and one of the most critical factors is shoes. Just think, for 26.2 miles and all the training miles in between I will be on my feet the whole time. So, it is critical I find the 'right' shoe for my running style and my foot.

For that reason I choose Mizuno Wave Rider 11. They are for a neutral style runner, one who does not have an excess pronation and has an normal to higher arch. NOTE: The stability and motion control shoes are for pronators and excess pronators respectively.

Yesterday I took my new shoes out for a test drive and my first run before my running program begins. Now, I have chose to use Jeff Galloway's running program which is a 3 day a week program. Because of the nature of the program and the fact that my marathon is not until next May 31st I have chose to start with a base prep and evaluative running program prior to starting the training.

Up till yesterday I have been doing a bit of riding, about 6 rides over a 2 week period and it seems to have put me in the right mental state for endurance oriented movements and to have built a bit of stamina in the lungs and legs. My 30 minute run felt effortless and my new shoes felt up to the task. I ran around a soccer field at Stanford University and the grass was quite nice for minimizing the impact and helping me to transition into running.

Also, I have decided to see if I can implement the Chi running philosophy. which call for alignment, and a slight forward lean in effect making it feel as if the body is falling forward and thus results in a more effortless effort (great for my flow mentality and approach to movement). I am not certain I had it right or was even doing the Chi running style but it sure did feel effortless and much like what I read.

Day 1 of running shoes and pre-training prep complete and I must give it a thumbs up! I enjoyed every step of the way.